LOS ANGELES (AP) — John Carpenter has often collaborated with those closest to him throughout his career. But making “Cathedral,” a graphic novel with an accompanying original album out Friday, was truly a family affair.
The famed director of seminal horror films like “The Thing” and “Halloween” says the movie business is all “corporate” nowadays. So the 78-year-old prefers to find alternative, less expensive ways to stay creatively fulfilled.
After a dream about an abandoned downtown Los Angeles church with an elevator that goes to hell, Carpenter, who is also a prolific composer, enlisted his godson, Daniel Davies, and his son, Cody, to collaborate on the album. It’s comprised of spooky instrumental tracks evocative of some of his iconic classics, like the theme from “Halloween.” He then turned to his wife, Sandy King, who is a comic book publisher, for help with the graphic novel.
Carpenter, his son and Davies spoke with The Associated Press about their artistic process, concerns over artificial intelligence and having nightmares about Boston Celtics great Larry Bird. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
JOHN CARPENTER: I thought, I’m a movie director by profession in the old days, and this album would be a great score for a movie. However, this movie would cost several hundred million dollars, so why not do a graphic novel? My wife owns a comic book company, so let’s write the novel and illustrate it, and we can score that.
JOHN CARPENTER: No, the other way around. I direct the movie, cut it together the way I want it, and then I look at it for music. So, the music is simply functional. It supports the story and the characters and so forth.
The movie business has changed since I was in it full-time. It’s all corporate now. I came from student filmmaking, where we didn’t have any money, so we couldn’t hire a composer. I had to do it myself. But now I got these bums to do it with me, and so I don’t have to work as hard.
JOHN CARPENTER: Never. This is the first time. Most of my dreams are pretty similar, and they’re not made for movies. They’re always about me being lost in a city and trying to find my way home, but the streets change on me, and I can’t find my way home. Or I’m looking for the movie theater district, and when I get there, they’re all closed.
CODY CARPENTER: I’ve been keeping a dream journal since college. I have these psychotic dreams. I just like to remember them, you know?
JOHN CARPENTER: The basketball dream? Didn’t you see somebody start dribbling?
CODY CARPENTER: It was Larry Bird. But it turned out that he was dead and I was interacting with his ghost.
JOHN CARPENTER: Well, people tell me it’s dangerous. I don’t — what does that mean? Does that mean it’s starting to learn on its own?
DAVIES: We like to make music. I would like it to help do more task-kind of things, like predict new tracks and know my workflow. But we like to make stuff, so why would we use it?
CODY CARPENTER: I don’t know. I know someone who does AI music stuff a lot, and he sends me all this stuff that he does and, I mean, I think at some point we won’t have a job anymore. I really think it’s amazing, just how fast it’s progressing. But I don’t know. Nobody knows.
JOHN CARPENTER: Music, I think, is the greatest art form. I hate to say it. But it doesn’t require anything. We can all listen to it in different countries. Great music moves us. And you’re telling me a machine can do that? I don’t believe it. That bothers me. This is a human thing. I want it to come from us. I really do.
JOHN CARPENTER: Why is it that you just saw it?
JOHN CARPENTER: I’m glad you liked it. I am happy with almost every movie I made.
JOHN CARPENTER: I'm not going to tell you.
FILE - Author-filmmaker John Carpenter appears at his office in Los Angeles on Oct. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Author-filmmaker John Carpenter appears at his office in Los Angeles on Oct. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 6, 2026--
Zoetis Inc. (NYSE: ZTS) today announced the appointment of James (Jay) Saccaro as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, effective August 17, 2026. In this newly created role, Mr. Saccaro will lead Zoetis’ global finance function, shaping capital allocation, financial strategy, reporting and controls, and investor engagement and oversee Global Manufacturing and Supply to drive operational execution and performance. With Mr. Saccaro’s appointment, Wetteny Joseph will transition to an advisory role effective August 17, 2026. Mr. Joseph has agreed to remain with the company as a Special Advisor to the CEO on financial matters until early 2027 to facilitate a smooth transition.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260805820439/en/
Mr. Saccaro joins Zoetis with extensive executive leadership experience at large-scale life sciences companies. He most recently served as Vice President and CFO at GE HealthCare, where he led key initiatives for the newly established public company, including designing processes and approaches across finance, accounting, new product planning, R&D prioritization, and capital allocation, and overseeing the Information Technology function. Previously, Mr. Saccaro spent over two decades at Baxter International Inc., where he held positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in his role as Executive Vice President and CFO for eight years. In that role, he oversaw all aspects of the company’s finance and information technology functions and led a number of high-impact enterprise initiatives, including a margin and cash flow improvement plan following the company's successful spin-off of Baxalta. Mr. Saccaro led business development for Baxter’s $5 billion Medication Delivery unit and played a key role in major M&A.
“We are excited to welcome Jay to Zoetis as we prepare for our next wave of innovation-driven growth,” said Kristin Peck, Chief Executive Officer of Zoetis. “Jay brings a unique combination of skills to this newly created leadership position. He is a seasoned finance executive with 12 years of CFO experience at some of the world's leading healthcare companies and has proven expertise in successfully developing and executing company-wide strategic initiatives. Jay’s track record of designing financial frameworks that balance R&D investment with operational rigor and efficiency will be a significant asset as we sharpen our competitive edge and invest in our future growth platforms. In this expanded role, Jay will also continue to strengthen our global manufacturing and supply operations, enhancing supply chain and distribution performance, and driving greater operational excellence and agility. I look forward to partnering with Jay to build on our industry leadership and deliver sustainable growth and long-term value for shareholders.”
“I am thrilled to join the world’s leading animal health company,” said Mr. Saccaro. “From the company’s deep innovation pipeline to its products that have built and defined categories in the industry, Zoetis is an exceptional business grounded in a deep commitment to setting new standards for the future of animal care. There is tremendous runway to build on that legacy, and alongside Kristin, the leadership team and Zoetis’ talented colleagues, I’m eager to help unlock the opportunities ahead and drive sustainable value creation.”
Ms. Peck added, “On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Zoetis team, I thank Wetteny for his strong leadership, partnership, and many important contributions since joining the company five years ago. During his time with Zoetis, Wetteny has helped guide the company through a period of significant investment, change, and growth. We are grateful for his support through this transition and wish him all the best in his next chapter.”
“I am honored to have served as CFO of Zoetis and proud of our team’s accomplishments during my time with the company,” said Mr. Joseph. “I remain confident in Zoetis’ strategy, people and long-term opportunities. Zoetis remains strongly positioned to continue innovating and leading the animal health industry, and I look forward to watching its success for years to come.”
About Jay Saccaro
James (Jay) Saccaro is an accomplished executive with extensive leadership experience across global healthcare and life sciences organizations. He joins Zoetis from GE HealthCare, where he served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2023, leading the company’s finance, information technology, strategy and business development functions. Prior to GE HealthCare, Mr. Saccaro served as Executive Vice President and CFO at Baxter International Inc. from 2015 to 2023, where he played a key role in leading the company’s post-spin transformation, margin improvement initiatives and capital structure optimization. Prior to rejoining Baxter, Mr. Saccaro was Senior Vice President and CFO at Hill-Rom Corporation. He had previously served as the Corporate Vice President and Treasurer of Baxter from 2011 to 2013. Mr. Saccaro originally joined Baxter in 2002 as manager of strategy for the BioScience business, and over the years assumed positions of increasing responsibility, including vice president of financial planning and vice president of finance for the company’s operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa. He began his career in strategic planning at The Walt Disney Company.
Mr. Saccaro received a bachelor’s degree in economics and master’s degree in engineering-economic systems from Stanford University.
About Zoetis
Zoetis is the world’s leading animal health company, driven by a singular purpose: to nurture our world and humankind by advancing care for animals. With a legacy of nearly 75 years, Zoetis continues to pioneer ways to predict, prevent, detect, and treat animal illness, supporting veterinarians, livestock producers, and pet owners in over 100 countries. We integrate deep scientific expertise, data-driven R&D, advanced manufacturing, and commercial excellence to deliver meaningful innovation across medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, biopharmaceuticals, and digital solutions. Guided by our vision to be the most trusted and valued animal health company, Zoetis is committed to setting new standards for the future of animal care through innovation, customer obsession, and purpose-driven colleagues. To learn more, visit Zoetis.com.
DISCLOSURE NOTICES
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect the current views of Zoetis with respect to business plans or prospects and other future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or actions. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if management's underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. Zoetis expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. A further list and description of risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including in the sections thereof captioned “Forward-Looking Statements and Factors That May Affect Future Results” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our Current Reports on Form 8-K. These filings and subsequent filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.zoetis.com, or on request from Zoetis.
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Zoetis Appoints Jay Saccaro as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer
